CN109961969B

CN109961969B - Device and switch comprising the device

Info

Publication number: CN109961969B
Application number: CN201711437274.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赖建树; 郭恒杰; 邹宝林
Original assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
Current assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
Priority date: 2017-12-26
Filing date: 2017-12-26
Publication date: 2023-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 2037-12-26
Also published as: CN109961969A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for a switch and a switch including the apparatus. The device includes: an electromagnetic mechanism including a movable iron core; the main shaft can be rotated; a push rod coupled between the movable core and the main shaft and operable to: rotating the main shaft between different positions corresponding to different operating modes of the switch in response to movement of the movable core in the longitudinal direction; an anti-gyration assembly arranged at an outer periphery of the main shaft and operable to: the spindle is prevented from rotating back to the first position in response to the spindle passing a zero position during rotation of the spindle from the first position to the second position, in which the push rod is aligned with the movable core in the longitudinal direction.

Description

Device and switch comprising the device

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for a switch and a switch including the same.

Background

Electrical Automatic Transfer Switches (ATS) are widely used in electrical distribution systems. The ATS may detect and monitor power quality and switch power between different power sources. This power supply transition requires a mechanism to effect commutation and thus switching of the operating modes.

One type of ATS relies on the inertia of the main shaft to effect commutation. For this type of ATS, the electromagnetic mechanism is energized (or energized) to rotate the spindle via a pushrod coupled between the movable core of the electromagnetic mechanism and the spindle. Once the spindle reaches or approaches a defined zero position (at which the push rod is aligned with the movable core) it will be achieved that the spindle rotates further past the zero position by its own inertia.

Such an inertia based ATS has a simple structure. However, if the inertial force is insufficient, there is a risk that the main shaft cannot pass through the zero position. Also, if the inertial force is too great, the main shaft may spin, resulting in a failed commutation of the ATS.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for a switch and a switch including the apparatus.

In a first aspect, an apparatus for a switch comprises: an electromagnetic mechanism including a movable iron core; a rotatable spindle; a push rod coupled between the movable core and the main shaft and operable to: rotating the main shaft between different positions corresponding to different operating modes of the switch in response to movement of the movable core in the longitudinal direction; an anti-gyration assembly arranged at an outer periphery of the main shaft and operable to: during rotation of the spindle from the first position to the second position, the spindle is prevented from rotating back to the first position in response to the spindle passing a zero position at which the push rod is aligned with the movable core in the longitudinal direction.

In some embodiments, the anti-swivel assembly comprises: a ratchet wheel arranged on an outer periphery of the main shaft; a pawl rotatably disposed at a rotation path of the ratchet wheel to enable a first end of the pawl to contact the ratchet wheel during rotation of the ratchet wheel; and a return spring coupled with the second end of the pawl and operable to: a pulling force is exerted on the pawl to resist rotation of the pawl caused by contact of the first end of the pawl with the ratchet wheel.

In some embodiments, the ratchet comprises a shoulder projecting in a radial direction from the spindle, and a projection projecting in a radial direction from the shoulder, and wherein a height of the shoulder is associated with a rotatable angular range of the pawl.

In some embodiments, the pawl and return spring are operable to: allowing the protrusion to move from the first side to the second side of the pawl via an inertial force associated with the spindle; and preventing the protrusion from moving from the second side of the pawl back to the first side after the protrusion reaches the second side of the pawl.

In some embodiments, the electromagnetic mechanism is operable to: the movable core is moved until the main shaft reaches a zero position to enable the main shaft to pass through the zero position via an inertial force associated with the main shaft.

In some embodiments, the electromagnetic mechanism is operable to: the movable core is moved until the main shaft reaches an angular position forming a predetermined angle with respect to the zero position to enable the main shaft to pass through the zero position via an inertial force associated with the main shaft.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: at least one spring for energy storage arranged in association with the movable core and operable to: storing energy via compression of a spring during rotation of the spindle from the first position to the zero position; and releasing the stored energy via expansion of the spring to enable the spindle to reach the second position in response to the spindle passing the zero position.

In some embodiments, the electromagnetic mechanism is operable to: is de-energized in response to the spindle passing through the zero position.

In some embodiments, the at least one spring for energy storage comprises two springs for energy storage, the two springs being arranged in parallel outside the electromagnetic mechanism.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: and a movable contact coupled to the main shaft, the movable contact rotating with rotation of the main shaft to contact different fixed contacts corresponding to different operation modes.

In a second aspect, there is provided a switch comprising an apparatus according to the first aspect.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are described herein, are provided to further explain the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and the description thereof are intended to explain the present disclosure and not to unduly limit the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an apparatus for a switch, wherein the switch operates in a first mode of operation, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an apparatus for a switch, wherein the switch is switching from a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of an apparatus for a switch, wherein the switch reaches and is operating in a second mode of operation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of an apparatus for a switch, where the switch is switching from a second mode of operation to a first mode of operation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar elements.

Detailed Description

The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to a number of exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings. While example embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood that the embodiments are described merely to facilitate a better understanding of, and thus enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice, the disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure in any way.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a new mechanism for preventing the spindle from spinning once it has crossed the zero position. In this way, the commutation of an Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) can be guaranteed to be successful each time, thereby improving the reliability of the ATS.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an apparatus for switching, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the apparatus 100 generally includes an electromagnetic mechanism 31, such as a solenoid, the electromagnetic mechanism 31 including a movable core 37, a rotatable spindle 33, and a push rod 32 coupled between the movable core 37 and the spindle 33. The push rod 32 is operable to: the main shaft 33 is rotated between different positions P1 and P2 with the movement of the movable iron core 37 in the longitudinal direction X. In this example, positions P1 and P2 correspond to two different operating modes of the switch.

In this example, the device 100 also comprises a movable contact 35. The movable contact 35 is coupled with the main shaft 33 and thus can rotate with the rotation of the main shaft 33. When the movable contact 35 is in contact with one of the

fixed contacts

34 and 36, the switch can operate in the corresponding operating mode.

Still referring to fig. 1, during commutation (or mode switching), the electromagnetic mechanism 31 is energized (or energized) to rotate the main shaft 33 via the push rod 32. In this example, when the electromagnetic mechanism 31 is energized, the movable iron core 37 pulls the push rod 32 toward the negative longitudinal direction X1, thereby rotating the main shaft 33 clockwise. Once the push rod 32 is pulled into substantial alignment with the movable core 37 in the longitudinal direction X, or in other words, the main shaft 33 reaches or approaches the zero position P0 (as shown in fig. 2), further clockwise rotation of the main shaft 33 will depend on the inertia associated with the main shaft 33 such that the main shaft 33 can pass the zero position P0 to effect commutation.

However, as discussed above, insufficient or excessive inertia can result in failure to commutate. In addition, friction, various impacts and various external disturbances may also cause failure of commutation. Therefore, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, apparatus 100 further includes anti-rotation assembly 200 disposed at an outer periphery of main shaft 33 to address the problem of commutation failure.

With such anti-rotation assembly 200, when the main shaft 33 passes over the zero position P0, the main shaft 33 can be prevented from rotating backward to its original position. For example, during rotation of main shaft 33 from first position P1 to second position P2, anti-wind-back assembly 200 may prevent main shaft 33 from rotating back to first position P1 when main shaft 33 crosses zero position P0. In this way, the success of commutation can be guaranteed each time, thus improving the reliability of the switch.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, anti-backup assembly 200 may include ratchet 40 and pawl 39. Ratchet 40 may be disposed on an outer periphery of spindle 33, and pawl 39 may be rotatably disposed at a rotational path of ratchet 40 to enable a first end of pawl 39 to contact ratchet 40 during rotation of ratchet 40. In this example, the longitudinal direction X may be defined as a horizontal direction, in which case the pawl 39 may be oriented vertically.

The anti-gyration assembly 200 may further comprise a return spring 30, the return spring 30 being coupled to the second end of the pawl 39 and being operable to: a pulling force is exerted on the pawl 39 to resist rotation of the pawl 39 caused by contact of the first end of the pawl 39 with the ratchet wheel 40.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, ratchet 40 may include a shoulder 41 having a height H that protrudes from the outer periphery of spindle 33 in radial direction R, and a protrusion 42 that also protrudes from shoulder 41 in radial direction R.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the projections 42 may be configured as finger-like projections. It should be understood, however, that the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to limit the shape of the protrusions.

Still referring to fig. 1, in some embodiments, a first end of pawl 39 is disposed near an outer periphery of spindle 33 such that shoulder 41 overlaps pawl 39 in radial direction R. In this case, when spindle 33 rotates clockwise, i.e. from first position P1 to second position P2, shoulder 41 will first contact pawl 39 and then push pawl 39 away from the vertical, which causes pawl 39 to rotate counterclockwise.

As the pawl 39 rotates, the return spring 30 expands. Thus, a pulling force is generated by the return spring 30, which in turn causes the first end of the pawl 30 to slide against the circumferential surface of the shoulder 41. In this way, the pawl 39 can be held at a certain angle relative to the vertical during the sliding of the shoulder 41 relative to the pawl 39, and this certain angle can be determined by the height H of the shoulder 41. In other words, the height H of the shoulder 41 is directly related to the rotatable angle range of the pawl 39.

In some alternative embodiments, the return spring 30 may be a torsion spring that generates a torsional force. It is again noted that it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the type of return spring, and that any type of spring that can generate a force against rotation of ratchet 40 is possible.

In some embodiments, the electromagnetic mechanism 31 may be operable to: the movable core 37 is moved until the main shaft 33 reaches the zero position P0, so that the main shaft 33 can pass through the zero position P0 via the inertial force. At the same time, the electromagnetic mechanism 31 remains energized.

In some alternative embodiments, the electromagnetic mechanism 31 may be operable to: the movable core 37 is moved until the main shaft 33 reaches an angular position forming a predetermined angle with respect to the zero position P0, so that the main shaft 33 can pass through the zero position P0 via an inertial force. At the same time, the electromagnetic mechanism 31 remains energized.

Reference is now made to fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of the device of fig. 1, wherein the main shaft 33 has just passed the zero position P0. As shown, the pawl 39 and return spring 30 are operable to: the projection 42 is allowed to move from a first side (in this example, the right side) of the pawl 39 to a second side (in this example, the left side) of the pawl 39 via the inertial force of the main shaft 33. After the protrusion 42 reaches the second side of the pawl 39, the engagement of the first end of the pawl 39 with the protrusion 42 forms a locking mechanism that will prevent the protrusion 42 from moving back to the first side of the pawl 39, or in other words, rotating counterclockwise.

In some embodiments, the device 100 further comprises one or more springs 38 for energy storage (hereinafter referred to as stored energy springs) arranged in association with the movable core 37. In this example, as shown in fig. 2, two energy storage springs 38 are arranged in parallel outside the electromagnetic mechanism 31. By arranging the charging spring outside the electromagnetic mechanism 31, the volume of the electromagnetic mechanism 31 can be reduced, while improved design flexibility can be achieved, as compared to a conventional charging spring arranged inside the electromagnetic mechanism 31.

In the example, during rotation of the main shaft 33 from the first position P1 to the zero position P0, the charging spring 38 stores energy by compression of the charging spring 38. In response to the main shaft 33 passing through the zero position P0, as shown in fig. 2, the electromagnetic mechanism 31 may be operated to be de-energized to release the movable core 37, so that the charging spring may release the stored energy via the expansion of the charging spring 38 to enable the movable core 37 to move toward the positive longitudinal direction X2. Thereby enabling the main shaft 33 to reach the second position P2. Fig. 3 shows the situation where the main shaft 33 reaches the second position P2.

Although the commutation process from position P1 to P2 is described with reference to fig. 1 and 2, it should be understood that the commutation process from position P2 to P1 is the same as the commutation process from position P1 to P2.

Fig. 3 and 4 show the commutation process from position P2 to P1. During rotation of the main shaft 33 from the position P2 to the position P1, as discussed above, the electromagnetic mechanism 31 is energized (or electrified) to rotate the main shaft 33 via the push rod 32. In this example, as shown in fig. 3, when the electromagnetic mechanism 31 is energized, the movable iron core 37 pulls the push rod 32 toward the negative longitudinal direction X1, thereby rotating the main shaft 33 counterclockwise. Once the push rod 32 is pulled to be substantially aligned with the movable core 37 in the longitudinal direction X, or in other words, the main shaft 33 reaches or approaches the zero position P0 (as shown in fig. 4), further counterclockwise rotation of the main shaft 33 will also depend on the inertia associated with the main shaft 33, such that the main shaft 33 can pass the zero position P0 to effect a change in direction.

Referring to fig. 4, when the main shaft 33 passes counterclockwise beyond the zero position P0, the anti-swing assembly 200 can prevent the main shaft 33 from rotating backward to its starting position (in this example, the second position P2). For example, anti-rotation assembly 200 may prevent rotation of spindle 33 back to second position P2 when spindle 33 crosses zero position P0 during rotation of spindle 33 from second position P2 to first position P1.

Exemplary embodiments of various components have been described above with reference to fig. 1 and 2, and thus are not described in detail herein.

It is to be understood that the above detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are merely illustrative of or explaining the principles of the present disclosure and are not limiting of the disclosure. Therefore, any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Also, it is intended that the appended claims cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the scope and range of the claims, or the equivalents of the scope and range.

Claims

1. An apparatus (100) for use in a switch, comprising:

an electromagnetic mechanism (31) including a movable iron core (37);

a rotatable spindle (33);

a push rod (32) coupled between the movable core (37) and the main shaft (33) and operable to: -rotating the main shaft (33) between different positions in response to a movement of the movable core (37) in a longitudinal direction (X), the different positions corresponding to different operating modes of the switch;

a rotation prevention assembly (200) arranged at an outer periphery of the spindle (33) and operable to prevent the spindle (33) from rotating back to the first position (P1) in response to the spindle (33) passing a zero position (P0) during rotation of the spindle (33) from the first position (P1) to a second position (P2), at which zero position (P0) the push rod (32) and the movable core (37) are aligned in the longitudinal direction (X), wherein the rotation prevention assembly (200) comprises a ratchet wheel (40), a pawl (39) and a return spring (30), wherein the ratchet wheel (40) comprises a protrusion (42), wherein the pawl (39) and the return spring (30) are operable to:

allowing the protrusion (42) to move from a first side to a second side of the pawl (39) via an inertial force associated with the spindle (33); and is

Preventing the protrusion (42) from moving back from the second side of the pawl (39) to the first side after the protrusion (42) reaches the second side of the pawl (39).

2. The apparatus (100) of claim 1,

the ratchet (40) is arranged on the outer periphery of the main shaft (33);

the pawl (39) is rotatably arranged at a rotation path of the ratchet wheel (40) to enable a first end of the pawl (39) to contact the ratchet wheel (40) during rotation of the ratchet wheel (40); and

the return spring (30) is coupled with a second end of the pawl (39) and is operable to: exerting a pulling force on the pawl (39) to resist rotation of the pawl (39) caused by the contact of the first end of the pawl (39) with the ratchet wheel (40).

3. Device (100) according to claim 2, wherein the ratchet wheel (40) comprises a shoulder (41) protruding from the spindle (33) in a radial direction (R), the protrusion (42) protruding from the shoulder (41) in the radial direction (R) and wherein a height (H) of the shoulder (41) is associated with a rotatable angular range of the pawl (39).

4. The apparatus (100) of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic mechanism (31) is operable to: moving the movable core (37) until the main shaft (33) reaches the zero position (P0) to enable the main shaft (33) to pass through the zero position (P0) via an inertial force associated with the main shaft (33).

5. The apparatus (100) of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic mechanism (31) is operable to: -moving the movable core (37) until the main shaft (33) reaches an angular position forming a predetermined angle with respect to the zero position (P0), so as to enable the main shaft (33) to pass through the zero position (P0) via an inertial force associated with the main shaft (33).

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one spring (38) for energy storage arranged in association with the movable core (37) and operable to:

storing energy via compression of the spring (38) during rotation of the spindle (33) from the first position (P1) to the zero position (P0); and is

Releasing the stored energy via expansion of the spring (38) to enable the main shaft (33) to reach the second position (P2) in response to the main shaft (33) passing the zero position (P0).

7. The apparatus (100) of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic mechanism (31) is operable to be de-energized in response to the main shaft (33) passing the zero position (P0).

8. The device (100) according to claim 6, wherein the at least one spring (38) for energy storage comprises two springs for energy storage arranged in parallel outside the electromagnetic mechanism (31).

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a movable contact (35) coupled with the main shaft (33), the movable contact (35) rotating with rotation of the main shaft (33) to contact with different fixed contacts (34, 36) corresponding to different operation modes.

10. A switch comprising the device (100) according to any one of claims 1-9.